The relationship between a professor and a student can be difficult to navigate. After being used to high school teachers, you need to know what is normal and healthy versus what is wrong and potentially dangerous behavior from professors.
When I was a freshman at ABAC, I didn’t realize how different college professors and high school teachers were. I ultimately fell victim to a professor who took advantage of that naiveté. While he no longer works at ABAC, my goal is to help freshmen navigate their relationships with their new professors.
Having a healthy student-professor bond is extremely beneficial. They may write letters of recommendation, work with you one-on-one for projects, or be a source of support on campus.
Your professors might take an interest in you and your academic and career goals. If you’re studying a topic that they are interested in, it’s normal for them to offer their help or guidance. After all, professors are there to support you both now and in the future!
However, some relationships with professors can become unhealthy. It’s important to watch out for signs of an unhealthy relationship, which can include grooming, harassment, or abuse.
Professor-on-student bullying can be physical, verbal, or cyber. Physical bullying can range from pinching to punching, and it can also include damaging your personal property. Verbal bullying includes insults, inappropriate jokes, or gossip. Cyber bullying may take place in an online format like GA View in a discussion post or even in an email.
During lectures, professors may call on you to answer a question, read from a text, or be used as an example. These classroom methods are normal; however, if a professor uses these as opportunities to mock, embarrass, humiliate, or insult you, that is reason enough to report the professor.
Another tell-tale sign of abuse is withholding grades or giving undeserved bad grades in exchange for favors, sexual or otherwise. Professors should not comment on your physical appearance, ask you about intimate details of your life, refer to you in derogatory terms (even as a joke), or otherwise make you feel unsafe in class or in private meetings.
Professor-student abuse can be difficult to recognize, though. For instance, embarrassing you in front of your peers while praising you in private moments can be considered abuse.
During my freshman year, the aforementioned professor praised a hand-drawn map I turned in, and he showed it to the class as an example of an “A” project. A moment later, he ripped it to pieces, slammed it on my desk, and told me to throw it away in front of everyone—all because I forgot to put my name on it.
However, in other moments outside of the classroom, he would tell me I was one of his best students and that he loved me to death.
This type of confusing, back-and-forth dynamic puts you, the student, in a vulnerable position so that the professor can have an unfair advantage over you; this behavior may also be a sign that the professor is grooming you.
In other, more healthy relationships, professors can be great allies on campus, offering help and guidance with academic endeavors, providing campus resources, or just being a safe person on campus to talk to.
I personally have great relationships with several of my professors despite bad past experiences. Even in the event of an unhealthy relationship with a professor, there are several professors at ABAC who would do anything to keep you safe and make sure that you succeed.
ABAC faculty members are mandatory reporters for any form of abuse on campus. If you feel that your professor is abusing you or another student, you can reach out to any trusted faculty member.
If you need support or other resources, you can visit the Counseling Center at the campus Health Center in the Health Sciences Building or at abac.edu/counseling-center. UWill is also a great resource for teletherapy.
You can also visit abac.edu/student-complaint-procedures to submit an anonymous complaint via the online student complaint form.
The ABAC Campus Police can be reached at 229-391-5060, or you can see them at Evans Hall.